The present invention relates generally to the field of light assemblies for use in vehicles such as automobiles. More particularly, the present invention relates to the application of markings (e.g., logos, emblems, designs, graphics, etc.) to lenses used in such light assemblies.
Lighting or lamp assemblies for vehicles (e.g., rear center high mounted stop lights (CHMSL)) include a housing, a light source such as an incandescent bulb or light emitting diodes (LEDs), and a lens. In braking or stop light applications, the lens is typically formed of a red or clear transparent or translucent polymeric material.
It may be desirable to provide markings on the lenses of lighting assemblies for decorative purposes. For example, if a particular logo or emblem is associated with the vehicle on which the lighting assembly will be used, it may be desirable to include this logo on the lens of the CHMSL for the vehicle.
One issue associated with the application of markings to vehicle braking or stop light assemblies is that such light assemblies must meet certain photometric requirements relating to the amount of light emitted when the vehicle brake is depressed. For example, current U.S. federal regulations require that a CHMSL have 4.5 square inches of total illumination surface. If a marking applied to a CHMSL lens is formed of an opaque material that does not allow a sufficient amount of light to pass therethrough, the size of the CHMSL lens must be increased to ensure that the CHMSL has sufficient illumination surface area to meet the government regulations. This, in turn, may undesirably increase the total cost of the CHMSL assembly. Moreover, light sources may have to be specially designed to avoid being blocked by an opaque marking.
Another concern is that light sources used in the light assemblies are intended to emit a specified beam strength. A marking on the lens may have the effect of reducing the effective area of the lens and could effectively block some of the light emission, resulting in a reduced beam strength. Thus, designers may be forced in such situations to use a larger or more powerful light source to maintain the same beam strength.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a light or lamp assembly that includes one or more markings applied to a lens thereof. It would also be desirable to provide graphics that do not detract from the illumination area of the lens. It would further be desirable to have a relatively simple and efficient method of applying such markings to the lens surface. It would be advantageous to provide a light or lamp assembly and method of producing such an assembly that includes any one or more of these or other advantageous features as may be apparent to those reviewing this disclosure.